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CES Feature Articles

January 07, 2014

SmartBand and LifeLog - Sony Looks to Differentiate in Wearable Tech


Sony gathered the press and media troops in Las Vegas at the 2014 Consumer Electronics Show (CES (News - Alert)) yesterday evening for a press conference - which will be followed today with an opening day keynote by its CEO (stay tuned for coverage). Almost though not totally predictably, Sony is - as is almost everyone else at CES this year, getting onto the wearable tech bandwagon. The overall Sony theme this year is "play and fun" and the company has come up with a range of cool products, especially 4K TVs to 4K cams to augmented reality to waterproof wireless headphones - far more than wearable tech.




Regardless of the range of products however, the most interesting thing from our perspective is Sony's attempt to expand beyond the "status quo" on wearable tech - which Sony has dubbed its "SmartWear Experience." True, Sony has been on the wearable tech bandwagon for some time with its smartwatch (the latest iteration of which is the Sony Smartwatch 2), but this time around the company is looking to break out of the smartwatch mold and is looking to join the activity tracking community as well - though it wants to take things a step further by introducing a spiffy new device and app that extends beyond activity monitoring.

The key, Sony believes, is to be able to integrate numerous wearable tech types of activities in a "fun, entertaining and social way" that will allow you to "discover your past, enjoy your present and inspire your future." Those are truly lofty words! How will Sony get us there?

It begins with a small little device that Sony has dubbed "the Core," a wearable device that is meant to be installed in numerous wearable devices. Sony is starting this multi-use device in a slightly larger device it calls the SmartBand. The Core is embedded in the LifeBand, and serves as but one of potentially numerous devices that can be built around the Core.

At its CES press conference this evening, Sony presented a data tracking device it calls the “Core” which pairs with its “LifeLog” app to help you track your life in numerous different ways. The LifeLog Android (News - Alert) app, which it connects to then lets you track and playback a variety of "moments" in your life in that fun, way that Sony is now pushing as its key theme.

Once the SmartBand and LifeLog begin to gather data about your daily activities the idea is that it begins to help users understand more about themselves and ultimately will help them to make "smart and fun choices - the present enhancing and inspiring the future."

It is all lofty and as part of the loftiness the details are few and far between - Sony itself noted on stage that it admittedly is only outlining the possibilities of what it is thinking. It all sounds good! Now we merely need to see Sony deliver - the company did admit that the SmartBand will be available some time in the Spring. We'll see. Meanwhile, below is a short video that shows off some thoughts on the SmarBand and LifeLog app.




Edited by Cassandra Tucker





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